Goa BJP Leader's 'Cockroaches, Termites' Post on CJP Protest Draws Oppn Ire

A social media post by a senior Goa BJP leader on the Cockroach Janta Party's protest over the NEET exam paper leak sparked outrage on Tuesday, prompting the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to demand an apology.

BJP leader and former MP Narendra Sawaikar's post, which featured an illustrated map of India infested with cockroaches and termites, drew sharp rebukes from opposition leaders, who accused the ruling party of branding citizens as anti-national for questioning the government.

"Cockroaches with the termites! Save the nation!" Sawaikar, the vice-president of the BJP's Goa unit, wrote, posting the image on X.

Reacting to the post, Goa Congress's working president Sunil Kawthankar said the BJP leader should apologise for the remark within 24 hours.

The BJP must stop branding those who criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the government as "anti-national" or "terrorists", he told reporters, and asserted that people in a democracy have every right to question the government and its policies.

Kawthankar stated that the BJP was a political party and "not synonymous with the nation".

Criticism of the government should not be equated with being "anti-national", he said, accusing the saffron party of weakening democratic institutions.

Echoing the Congress leader's sentiments, AAP MLA Cruz Silva condemned Sawaikar's "termites" remark against protesting students, labelling it as "shameful and unacceptable".

Meanwhile, Sawaikar was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.